Naruto's talk-no-jutsu worked best on Gaara, followed by Sasuke and Nagato. It worked worst on Obito and Neji.
For the last two, it was less that Naruto had persuaded them and more that they had persuaded themselves.
Just like now.
Hanabi shouted out what Shirozumi had told her, and Neji was immediately at a loss.
How could he argue against that?
He was trapped either way!
If he really wanted to prove that fate was predetermined, then he shouldn't have rebelled against the Main Family—or even argued with Hanabi.
If he did argue, that would mean he wanted to defy fate and believed it wasn't set in stone from birth.
"What do we do now?"
Hanabi looked down at Hinata and Neji, both standing stock-still like scarecrows, and turned to Shirozumi for help.
"Just say that you feel the same way your stand-in-for-a-dead-dad does now, and that you want to do the same thing. You're not sacrificing yourself as a Branch Family member for the Main Family; you're doing it for your sister, because it's what you want."
"Oh!"
With Shirozumi's guidance, Hanabi ran to the edge again, ready to speak down to them.
"W-wait!"
Hiashi hurriedly called her to a stop.
He stared at Shirozumi in shock.
How did he know what was written in his younger brother Hizashi's letter?
Was there a spy in the Hyuga Clan?
No, that couldn't be right.
The letter had always been in his hands, and only he had read it. Surely he couldn't be the spy himself?
"Father, Sister has already done it. You're not going to go back on your word, are you?"
When Hanabi saw her father stop her, she returned with a worried look.
Hanabi knew what would happen if she brought this up in public: there'd be no